Improvement in harvesters



W.D. SLACK.

HARVESTER.

Patented 055. 5, 1859.1'

Fig.|.

Inventor.

Witn 'ess-e s.

MMM-@Mw W1 UNITED STATES PATENT Omer-ca..4

IMPBovEM ENT 1N HARVESTERS.

Specification,formingpart o f Letters Patent- No. 95,526, dated October 5, 1869.

To all wh-om it may concern.-

Beit known that I, WILLIAM D. SLAQK, of Lewisburg, in the couut'y'of Union and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new. andvuseful Improvements in Harvesting-Machines and Rakes Therefor; 'and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 represents a top plan of so much of a .harvesting-machineas will illustrate my invention. Fig. 2 represents a side elevation thereof, partly in section. Fig. 3 represents a section through th'e gears, gear-house, and tool-box and their cover, which is-common to all of them. Fig.4 represents the manner of vv'connecting the vfinger-bar. tvc.. when a frontcntmachine is desired, instead of a rear-cut, as shown in Figs 1 and 2.

Similar letters 'of reference, where they occurin the separate gures, denote like parts of themachine in all of the drawings. My invention relates, rst,y to'certain mech anism for raising, lowering, and holding at any properly-desired height the linger-har and cutting apparatus..

My invention relates, secondly, to certain mechanism for clutching and unclutchin g the rake andreel drivin g mechanism with and from the main driving-wheel.

My invention relates, thirdly, to mechanism for throwing the'rake and reelarms into and out of action without throwing its driving -mechanism out of gear with 'the main drive.

wheel.A

To enable others skilled iu the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the same with reference to the drawings,

The main frame A may be cast in one single piece, with suitable openings, recesses, or pro jections for adapting to it the varied parts of the machine that are carried on, supported by,'or driven from said main frame. On the main frame are suitable bearings for the main axle B to rest and turn in, and upon this-axle is placed the main carrying and drivin g-wheels C D, each of them having a ratchet and springpawl connection, so that they may be fast or loose on the axle, as the case may be, and for the usual well-known object and purpose.' 'In this frame andin the central portion of it there is left in the casting of it an opening of sufticient sine to allow the driving-wheels E F .'on

the main axle to pass into and through vvand be operated therein and upon the frame', at the ends laterally of this opening, are cast the arched pieces a a', that form, togetherwith the curved and hinged cover'b, the gear-house for covering the gears and keepin glthem'free from clogging n1atter,1but vstill 'of easy access lfor oiling orany other purpose.. Adjacent to eine of the archedpieces-' 'thereisfoast onto" the frame a 'third similar-shaped piece, c, -which with the onea', the

b, coveringit 'that' covers the gearing. l

The gear E is an internalgear wheel,and it runs a 'pinion, `e,'hungoni-a journal, f. The gear F isgfofrined on .a .sleeve or hess', g, that is loose vupon v'the' the end of this sleeve orfboss'g there'is apinion, i, thai-.' sthrown into Aand out of 'action with the-'pinion ej wheneverdesired todo 'so,'

and by. this arrangement ot' gears the wheel E isV driven; from the main-axle or stoppedjas may be required, and the wheel F works into the pinion 'on the crank-shaft that drivesihc cutters. Y

To the main frame A, and to its under portion, and aft of but near tothe-main axle-1 3, and in Asuitable hinged hearings, there is at taohed, as at 1, Fig. 2, a frame, G, shown 'in dotted lines, Fig.' 1, to the forwardgrain-side A termination of which is pivoted; as at h,`the drag-bar H, on which the linger-bar I. is ,-faste ened and on which is also placed the rake and reel and certain mechanism for op'eratingsaid rake and reel, as will behereinafter explained.' On this hinged frame G there is a friction pulley or rollenj, and to the main frame 'atkj there is pivoted 'a curved lever, l, the upper position to be end of which is in convenient operated by the driver.. in his seatJ, and the lower end is curved 'around so as totake un.-

der'said roller j, and hy operating said lever the frame G and drag-bar H- `connected to it can be raised andlowered at pleasure, or held v up atanyproper height by means cfa pawl A lever, m, pivotedto the-lifting-lever l at a, and

taking into. lthe notched rack o'on the main frame, and holdlllgwthere.

0n. the end en poi'nt. ofth'efhub of thed'rive Y frame, and the hinged cover b,- forms the tool-boxl d, the same cover,

yaxle B ,softhat it ca'nj,be moved thereon by a shipper-levegand upon,

, ries the rakes or beaters is revolved. The

clutch-rod p is fastened to the main frame at 5, and extending first outward, then forward, then inward, as clearly shown in Fig. 1.' Its free end 6 passes up through a slot, 7, in the main frame, and is formed into a foot-piece, which the driver in his seat can actuate, said free end ot' the clutch-rod being controlled in one direction by a spring, 8, bearing against which spring tendsto hold the half-clutches in gear, while the pressure of the foot upon the part 6 tends to unclutch the crank or wrist wheel q from the drive-wheel D, and thus cease to drive the rake-gear.

On the heel end or rear end of the drag-'bar `H there isa pillowblock, K, ou which is placed and supported by means of a. journal or spindie, t', a rake-driving head, L, which is turned on said journal 'oy means of a bevel-pinion, s, which is'on and-fa. part of a crank-wheel, t, driven from the crankwhee1 q through the pitman u u u, said beveled pinion s gearing into the bevel-coge v on 'the under side of the rakedriving head L. The united crank-wheelaud bevel-pinion t s are supported on an under journal, lw, and are held up by a spring, a', to keep'said pinion in gear with the rake-driving head L. 4A bent lever, M, is pivoted to the pillow-block K at 9, and its short arm straddles the bearer y, that carries the journal on which the crank-wheel and bevel-pinion ts revolve, and the long arm extends up into convenient position for the driver in his seat to seize and operate. By drawing this lever M rearward at its top it carries down the bearer y. on the journal fw, compressing the 'spring m, and thus moves down the bevel-pinion s, and throwing it out of gear with the rakedriving head L and stopping the action of the rakes. When the lever M is released by the operator the reaction of the spring a: moves up the bearer and the bevel-pinion, and the rakes are then put into action again. The pinion lis not necessarily a part of the crank-wheel.

The rake-holders z z, ot which Ihave shown but two, (but there may be four, it' desired, or more,) are pivoted to the drivin g-head L, so as to rise and fall as they go around with the head, but tio so rise and fall in slots or re- -cesses as not to move or be strained laterally,

and the rake-holders are united bya couplingrod, 10, so that as one rises up the other shall fall, and vice versa, one o f the pair being controlled by a camway, N, on the'pillow-block, and so alternately as they sweep around.

The drag-bar H, as heretofore stated, is pivoted at its front end, as at It, tothe hinged frame orbraces G, so that it can rock or roll as well as be raised up at its forwardl end.v

The rear end of the drag-har H is connected to the main frame by a coupling-bar, 0, in such manner, as seen at 11, Fig. 1, as that it can freely rock or roll at that end as well as at its front end.

As the rakes and rakedriving mechanism t are connected to and placed on the dragbar and the latter is free to roll on its pivots, and 'as the driving-power comes from the main wheels on the main frame', which does not or may not move as the drag-bar does, some ilexible driving-connection other than a chain or band must be used, as they would become slack and taut bysuch move1nents,.and be uncertain and unreliable.` To admit of this free movement of the drag-bar at fron t, rear, and

laterally, I use coupling-links or pitmen u, as

heretofore patented to me, which are rigid, so far as their transmission of motion is concerned, and flexible to an y extent that a 1in ger-bar may require, or give to the drag-bar to which it is united.

The machine as above described is constructed for a rear-cnt machine. To make it a. front-cut machine, which some farmers prefer, the braces G anddrag-bar H may be removed, and a frame, P, as shown in Fig. 4, hinged to the main axleB by the loops or deadeyes at 12. This frame has Iupon it a bevelpinion, 13, on a shalt, 14, to the forward end of which shaft =the crank-wheel that drives the cutters is attached, the driving motion coming from the bevel-gear F, Fig. 3, on the main axle through the bevel-pinion 13 and crank-wheel .shaft 14. The finger-bar I is hinged to the frame P, as at 15, by a gag-hinge, so that while the finger-bar may rise and fall at its outer end freely in conforming to the ground it can be raised up bodily from the ground by raising up the frame P, which can be done by a chain attached to the hook 17 and a lever connected therewith and extending toward the driver in his seat, so that he may operate it.

The hinge-joint at 15 being ofthe rule or gag. kind, the finger-bar cannot be uncoupled readily at the hinge; but that it may be taken oli' easily, the screws 16, that unite the hin ge-plate 18 to the frame P, can be taken out, which releases said plate and finger-bar without separating them. i

I have shown the main frame A, which is cast in one piece, as being entirely between thedrive-wheels. It can be cast and I propose to socast and make it as to extend beyond and around one'or both of the drive-wheels, leaving an opening or openings through itfor said drive or carrying wheels to pass through or work in, and still have it in one piece; or the outside pieces may be made separate and bolted to the main frame by means of proper projections on one or both of them,.and serveasimilar purpose.

At Fig. 5 I have shown detached the raising mechanism for raising, lowering, and holding the coupling-bar o, which apparatus is to be arranged on the rear righthand corner of the main frame. The lifting and pawl lever is shown at 19, the ratchet-bar at 20.

Having thus fully described my invention, 'what I claim therein as new, and desire to se cure by Letters Patent, is

1.l The arrangement of the lever l, roller j, pawl-lever m, and rac-k o forraising, lowering, and holding` at any suitable adjusted height the frame G, to which the dragbar that carries the finger bar and enttex'sis attached, substantially as described. 4

2. In combination with the rake-driving head L and the pinion -fsupportng springbearer y, a bent a'nd pirated lever, M, for 

